Gedenkstätte Steinhof

About the museum

After the "Anschluss" of 1938, the "Am Steinhof" sanatorium and nursing home, today the Otto Wagner Hospital, became Vienna's centre of Nazi killing medicine. At least 7,500 patients lost their lives: more than 3,200 were transported away as part of "Aktion T4" and murdered at Hartheim Castle near Linz, and over 3,500 died of hunger, neglect and infections. From 1940 to 1945 the grounds housed the "Kinderfachabteilung Am Spiegelgrund" (children's special ward), in which around 800 children and young people were killed.

Human remains of victims were still used for research purposes into the 1980s. They were not buried until 2002, in an honorary grave at Vienna's Zentralfriedhof, with further specimens following in May 2012. A first version of the exhibition arose after the 2002 burial; the current permanent exhibition "Der Krieg gegen die 'Minderwertigen'" (The War against the "Inferior") opened on 3 July 2008 in Pavilion V of the former institution, and since 2012 video interviews with survivors have supplemented the offering.

The operator is the Documentation Centre of Austrian Resistance (DÖW). The exhibition covers the ideological foundations of Nazi racial hygiene, so-called child euthanasia, coercive measures against patients, opposition and resistance, and the handling of the crimes after 1945. In addition, the website gedenkstaettesteinhof.at offers the complete exhibition, eyewitness interviews, a chronology and a book of the dead.

Highlights

• Permanent exhibition "Der Krieg gegen die 'Minderwertigen'" in Pavilion V
• Focus on the children's special ward "Am Spiegelgrund"
• Video interviews with survivors
• Free educational programme on the first Saturday of every month
• Online exhibition with chronology and book of the dead

Permanent exhibition

• Der Krieg gegen die „Minderwertigen“ – Permanent exhibition on the Nazi medical crimes in Vienna, starting from the Am Steinhof institution and the children's special ward Am Spiegelgrund; complemented by video interviews with survivors.

Founded

2008

Operated by

Dokumentationsarchiv des österreichischen Widerstandes (DÖW)

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Free admission.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom: not available
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Seven steps lead up into Pavilion V; a lift is available and is used on request on site or after advance booking. Two toilets, neither of them accessible. The walk from the main entrance of the site takes about ten minutes; the paths are partly steep and only partly asphalted. For step-free access, please get in touch in advance by email or at +43 1 22 89 469-800.

Kids & families

Only partly suitable for kidsRecommended for ages 14+

The DÖW recommends a minimum age of 14 for visiting the exhibition.

Getting there & parking

Pavilion V is located diagonally below the institution's church and should not be confused with Pavilion 5. On foot from the main entrance about ten minutes; the shortest route has a gravel surface, while flatter asphalted roads can also be driven on by car.

Amenities & dining

• Café: not available
• Restaurant: not available

No shops or restaurants in the immediate vicinity; drinks vending machine at the main entrance of the site. The tap water in Pavilion V is not drinkable, so bring water if needed.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit